Mining-machine



T. E. PRAY. MINING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-9, 1920- Patented July 12, 1921.

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MINING MACHINE.

APPLICATION men was, 1920.

Patenwd July 12, 1921.

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MINING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 12, 1921.

Application filed August 9, 1920. Serial No. 402,349.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, THOMAS E. PRAY, a citizenof the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook andState of illinois, have invented a Mining-Machine, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in mining machines and moreparticularly to mining machines of the cutter chain type provided with acutter arm adapted to be moved horizontally along the face of the minewall to cut a horizontal kerf thereunder.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and durableconstruction of a machine of the class above described. 7

The invention consists in the combination, construction, and arrangementof parts as will hereinafter be described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in the appendedclaim.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a mining machine of thelongwall type constructed in accordance with my present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the mining machine shown in Fig.1.

Fig. 8 is a view in partial cross-section taken on line 3-8 of Fig. 1,and drawn to a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4: is a transverse cross-section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1, anddrawn on the same scale as Fig.

Mining machines of the cutter arm type are usually provided with acutter chain (not shown) which is moved in a channel 10 about a cutterbar 11 and a suitable driving sprocket 12. In the present illustration,1 have shown the cutter bar-11 as applied to a mining machine of thewelhknown "longwall type, that is to say, a mining machine which isadapted to be moved by suitable draft devices with its longitudinal axisparallel to the face of the mine wall, and with the cutter bar 11projecting substantially at right angles from the machine. Machines ofthis class are usually arranged so that the position of the cutter bar11 may be changed so as to cut on the opposite side of the machine, asindicated in dotted llnes in Fig. 1. The cutter bar swings about avertical axis as it is moved from one side of the machine to the other,and is normally maintained in the plane parallel to the floor of themine upon which the machine rests.

Under operating conditions however, it

sometimes is desirable to tilt the cutter bar out of its normalhorizontal plane sons to follow rolling or uneven floor, and to maintain the cutter bar at the proper height.

in the present invention, I provide a snnpleconstruction formounting thecutter bar on the machine frame A so as to afford rotation of the cutterbar from one side of the machine to the other, and also to affordtilting of thecutter bar out of its normal horizontal plane at the willof the operator. This construction, in detail, includes the cutter bar11, having a main body portion 18, forming the major portion ofthecutter arm, an offset portion 14 at the inner end of the cutter bar, anda pair of upright arms 15, 15. It will he observed that the body portion13, offset portion 14 and the arms 15, 15 of the cutter armare all castin one piece,

so asto form a strong and simple oonstrucpivot rings 15, 15, eachextending horizontally through one of said, arms, and having its endssupported in the ring 17. Said ring is rotatably supported in a framemember 18, which may be integral with the main frame casting 19 of themachine.

The ring 17 is retained in the main frame 18 by segmental retainingplates 17 17 attached to the lower surfaceiof the ring 17 iy means of aplurality of bolts 17 117". A suitable upper plate 11 and lower plate 11are attached to the body portion 13 of the cutter bar beyond theboundary of the machine frame 18, and form the upper and lower flanges,respectively, of the channel 10,

as shown. The cutter chain sprocket 12 is mounted on the lower end of avertical spiudle 16 extending vertically upwardthrough the offsetportion 14 of the cutter arm.

Means for driving the spindle 16 in all permissible positions of thecutter arm comprises a horizontally disposed gear 20 drlven by a pinion27 having suitable driving coir nection with the motor. The gear 20 ismounted above the ring 17, and has a downwardly extending gear hub 21which bears on a bearing ring 22 interposed between said gear hub 21 andthe inner surface of the ring 17. The gear hub 21 is relatively large indiameter, and has a hollow centerjoint is substantially in axial linewith the pivot pins 18, 18, and comprises a toggle member 2 1, apairofoppositely dlsposed pins 25, 25 having threaded engagement with the gearhub 21, and a second pair of oppositely disposed pins 26, 26 at rightangles to the first mentioned pins 25,25, and attached to the upper end16 ofthe spindle 16. A cover plate 28 is superimposed above the gear 20and is attached to the main frame 18 in any suitable manner, such as byscrews 29, 29. A

Means for lubricating the various moving parts of the mechanism abovedescribed, comprises an oil reservoir 30 formed by a partition 31preferably attached to the under surface'of the cover plate 28, and provided with a plurality of orifices 32, 32, located above the hub 21 ofthe gear 20, and other orifices 33, 33 located above the toggle member24 of theuniversal joint 24:.

The oil from the orifices 32, 32 is fed by gravity to an annularoil-retaining depression 34 about the upper face of the gear hub 21, andis distributed to the main bearing of said hub through oil holes 346",34. Theouter edgeof said depression 34 i preferably provided with aplate 35, having an overhanging edge so as to retain the oil that isthrown outwardly by centrifugal force while the machine is in operation.7 The oil from the orifices 33,. 33 is caught in a reservoir 249, formedin the toggle member'2t ,'and reaches the pins 25, 25, and 26,

26' through oil holes 36, 36. A portion of the oil from the reservoir24:? also passes through a centrally disposed oil hole 37 into a passage38 in the upper end of the spindle 1'6, and thenceby gravity to the mainbeara I ing 39 of said spindle.

Means for tilting thecutter bar 11 comprises a bar 42, detachablyconnected at one end to a pin" 43, carried by the cutter arm 11 adjacentthe inner end of the body portion'13of said arm, and at the other end toa rocking arm 44", extending transversely acrossthe rear end of themachine and p1voted at its center. The arm 44: may be controlled by anysuitable means, such as a screw 45, supported on the machine frame, andengaging a threaded sleeve 46, connected to one end of the arm 14:. Itwill now be seen, that by the manipulation of the screw as, the bar 42may be oscillated so as to tilt the'cutter arm to any angle desired;When it is desired to shift the cutter arm 11 to the opposite side ofthe machine the bar 42 may be detached and also moved to operatingposition on the other side of the machine, as shown in'dotted lines inFig. 1.

The preferred method of rotating the cutterbar and ring member 17, is byemploying the draft mechanism of the machine (not shown) which may beattached temporarily to the pin 43 for the purpose of rotating thecutterbar 11, and ring 17 into the desired position. The ring member 17may be locked in any one of several positions by means of a pin 40whichengages in suitably disposed notches 4:1, 41 arranged about theouter periphery of said ring.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to cover byLetters Patent, is: r V

In a mining machine, the combination of a frame, a horizontally disposedring rotatably mounted in said frame, a cutter bar comprising achain-supporting element havarm and having a driving sprocket for saidcutter chain mounted on its lower end and in line with said channel, ahorizontally disposed driving gear mounted on said ring, and a universaljoint affording operative connection between said shaft and said drivinggear,

Signed in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, this 5day of August A. D. 1920. V

THOMAS E. PRAY.

ing a raised offset portion at one end there- 7

